podcasts@wlrnnews.orgNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94boatingTue, 09 Aug 2016 05:37:29 +0000boatinghttp://wlrn.org
Camila DomonoskeSince April, the Newlead Castellano has been anchored off the Georgia coast, near Savannah — with a crew on board that couldn't come ashore.Now, after several motionless months, the Filipino sailors are close to heading home. The auction of the ship is bringing an end to what Splash247, a maritime news site, called a "shameful story of crew neglect."The cargo ship had been seized by U.S. marshals because its owners had stopped paying on their loans. The ship would be sold to pay off those debts — a process "similar in concept" to a home foreclosure, says attorney Todd Baiad, who represents the lenders."Because it's a movable object, there's some intricacies involved," he explains. "And, you know, you've got crew members."In fact, the owners of the Newlead Castellano — NewLead Holdings, of Greece — hadn't just been skipping out on loan payments. They also hadn't been paying the ship's crew for months.When the ship was stopped by the marshals, the owners could have put down money asShip's Crew Stuck Off Coast Of Georgia Since April Might Soon Head Homehttp://wlrn.org/post/ships-crew-stuck-coast-georgia-april-might-soon-head-home
72515 as http://wlrn.orgMon, 08 Aug 2016 18:37:00 +0000Ship's Crew Stuck Off Coast Of Georgia Since April Might Soon Head HomeMichal KranzBefore 2013, Florida’s houseboats were considered sea vessels rather than homes - but that all changed when activist and developer Fane Lozman took his case to the U. S. Supreme Court. Lozman gained national attention in 2013 when the court ruled in his favor after the city of Riviera Beach demolished the houseboat he was living in, arguing that it did not qualify as a residence. Last Sunday, Lozman returned to Riviera Beach with a new houseboat in tow. Lozman has been involved in local politics for years, and he says he sees himself as an advocate for the rights of houseboaters across the country. “My initial battle to the Supreme Court was to fight on behalf of other floating home owners so they wouldn’t have to go through the nightmare I did,” he said. Back in Riviera Beach, Lozman has parked his houseboat on 25 acres of submerged land he has purchased. He says he intends to use the 25 acres to create a community of residential houseboats. “Consider it like a giant marina," he said.Riviera Beach Activist Returns Home To Start Innovative Houseboat Projecthttp://wlrn.org/post/riviera-beach-activist-returns-home-start-innovative-houseboat-project
70736 as http://wlrn.orgWed, 06 Jul 2016 22:32:53 +0000Riviera Beach Activist Returns Home To Start Innovative Houseboat ProjectCaitie SwitalskiIf you are enjoying a summer day in your boat on Biscayne Bay, you better think twice before reaching for that beer. Operation Dry Water is in full swing. Officers of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are patrolling the waters on this weekend before the Fourth of July holiday to make sure there is no boat driving under the influence of alcohol or other substances. Officer Lorenzo Velloz was pulling over boaters Friday morning for a routine safety check off Key Biscayne. Velloz said Florida had 11 alcohol and drug related fatalities on the water last year. “Unfortunately, boats do not have crumple zones and do not crumple on impact," Velloz said. "It’s a straight blunt force and that’s why boating accidents are more severe than actually automobile accidents. ” Boater Jay Rivera was driving his vessel with friends. He passed the safety check, and said the FWC’s increased safety measures are not a hassle for boaters, but rather, they are important for everyone during'Operation Dry Water' Cracks Down On Drunken Boating This Weekendhttp://wlrn.org/post/operation-dry-water-cracks-down-drunken-boating-weekend
70162 as http://wlrn.orgSat, 25 Jun 2016 16:54:49 +0000'Operation Dry Water' Cracks Down On Drunken Boating This WeekendNancy KlingenerThe Monroe County Sheriff's Office is reminding boaters to take one more step before loading up and leaving the Keys: Tie down your boat. If not, you can wind up like the unfortunate driver Tuesday morning whose boat came off its trailer on the Overseas Highway in Marathon. A tow truck was called to the scene and the Florida Highway Patrol is investigating. Besides that expense, failing to properly secure your boat is a civil infraction that can result in a ticket. How NOT To Leave The Florida Keys With Your Boathttp://wlrn.org/post/how-not-leave-florida-keys-your-boat
68927 as http://wlrn.orgTue, 31 May 2016 16:26:32 +0000How NOT To Leave The Florida Keys With Your BoatNancy Klingener The boat that ran into a patch reef off Key West recently left without reporting the grounding. But it left some pieces behind. "Essentially, this is a hit-and-run on the coral," said Sean Morton, superintendent of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. "We're on the lookout for a very large boat that is missing one prop and has probably a very large dent and damage to the hull on the front." The damage was reported to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission May 19 by a boater who found the propeller blades at the site. FWC officers say evidence should be left at the site to help make the case. FWC is investigating the grounding, while biologists from the marine sanctuary assess the damage. Morton saw the damaged area on a recent snorkeling trip and said it's in an area of healthy, diverse corals. Especially noticeable was damage to a large star coral. "Where there should have been live coral cover you could see that something had run into it, basically taking off the live coralReef Hit-And-Run Smashes Coral Off Key Westhttp://wlrn.org/post/reef-hit-and-run-smashes-coral-key-west
68787 as http://wlrn.orgFri, 27 May 2016 21:00:32 +0000Reef Hit-And-Run Smashes Coral Off Key WestNancy Klingener Boaters from the Lower Keys often escape to the nearby islands of the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge was created in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt to protect birds from plume hunters. Several of the islands have beaches that are attractive to boaters — and to nesting sea turtles and shorebirds. Most of the time the human use is compatible with wildlife protection, said Chris Eggleston, acting manager of the Keys national wildlife refuges. But during the Key West Offshore Poker Run in recent years, hundreds of powerboats have converged on the islands. "They bring a party with them — there's helicopters and drones and other things," Eggleston said. So this year, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has declared Boca Grande, Woman Key and the Marquesas Keys off-limits to all boaters from Nov. 13-16. "Historically at this time of year, there have been extreme disturbances from boaters," Eggleston said. "We're trying to get ahead of that problem." Boca Grande and theKeys Refuge Islands Off Limits During Busy Boating Weekendhttp://wlrn.org/post/keys-refuge-islands-limits-during-busy-boating-weekend
59130 as http://wlrn.orgMon, 09 Nov 2015 20:31:42 +0000Keys Refuge Islands Off Limits During Busy Boating WeekendNancy KlingenerIn May, five 16-foot Hobie Cat sailboats left Key West for the inaugural Havana Challenge sailing race to Cuba. "Three of them were broken, one sank and one was ripped into pieces," said Joe Weatherby, one of the race organizers. The three "broken" boats were patched up enough to limp into Havana Harbor -- 10 hours after leaving Key West. Weatherby and the other Havana Challenge organizers are planning a second race for November. But this one should go considerably more quickly because its entrants will be powerboats. Weatherby said he expects the fastest boats to make the 90-mile trip across the Florida Straits in an hour and a half. The race is scheduled for a Tuesday, and the boaters would stay in Cuba until that Saturday. The race organizers have a series of events lined up, including a party at Morro Castle, a "Hemingway haunts" poker walk and a boat parade into Havana Harbor, "which just gives me goosebumps," Weatherby said. "We couldn't believe we are allowed to do this." TheHavana Challenge To Cross Straits Again, Under Powerhttp://wlrn.org/post/havana-challenge-cross-straits-again-under-power
54333 as http://wlrn.orgThu, 06 Aug 2015 17:36:37 +0000Havana Challenge To Cross Straits Again, Under PowerNancy KlingenerSince March 16, the last drawbridge on the Overseas Highway has only opened once an hour. Before that, it opened twice an hour — which caused massive backups through the village of Islamorada in the Upper Keys, said Islamorada Mayor Mike Forster. On Thursday, the Coast Guard informed the village that it would be extending the test period of once-an-hour openings for another 30 days, Forster said. The test period had been scheduled to end this Tuesday. "It's been pretty effective," Forster said. But the Coast Guard is seeking the public's opinion on the bridge-opening schedule. Forster said he hopes lots of people in the Keys will voice their opinions. Closing the bridge more frequently causes traffic backups that can affect the entire island chain and possibly hurt its thriving tourism industry. "We need to make sure we don't ruin it by having things like the Snake Creek Bridge, where people are in line for seven hours just to go home," Forster said. "It creates very little hardshipIslamorada Drawbridge Test Period Extendedhttp://wlrn.org/post/islamorada-drawbridge-test-period-extended
52885 as http://wlrn.orgThu, 09 Jul 2015 23:00:33 +0000Islamorada Drawbridge Test Period ExtendedMarva HintonToday on WLRN-Miami Herald News, you heard: October 13, 2014: After Fatal Crash, State Urges Boaters To Stay Safehttp://wlrn.org/post/october-13-2014-after-fatal-crash-state-urges-boaters-stay-safe
39779 as http://wlrn.orgMon, 13 Oct 2014 10:14:59 +0000October 13, 2014: After Fatal Crash, State Urges Boaters To Stay SafePattrik SimmonsThe U.S. Coast Guard today announced a new slow-speed zone to ensure the safety of boaters in and out of Convoy Point and Black Point Marina during the Columbus Day weekend celebrations. “Historically, we have had a slow-speed zone in the area, but it’s been centered mostly in the northern part of the Biscayne Bay,” said Lt. Mike Cortese, Commanding Officer of U.S. Coast Guard Station Miami Beach. “We have extended it south all the way to Black Point [Marina] to help cover the high-traffic areas between the Elliot Key and the marinas where boaters often launch out of.” Within this slow-speed zone, boaters are prohibited from exceeding a speed of 15 knots (or 22.65 miles per hour). It will be enforced beginning Oct. 11 at 12:01 p.m. until 2 a.m. Monday, Oct. 12. Boating during Columbus Day weekend is considered to be one of the most dangerous times of the year due to high congestion within the area. “It’s not been a great year for boater safety around the Miami area, but this weekend weU.S. Coast Guard Adds New Slow-Speed Zone Ahead Of Columbus Day Weekendhttp://wlrn.org/post/us-coast-guard-adds-new-slow-speed-zone-ahead-columbus-day-weekend
39697 as http://wlrn.orgFri, 10 Oct 2014 20:13:49 +0000U.S. Coast Guard Adds New Slow-Speed Zone Ahead Of Columbus Day Weekend Allan Aunapu was 26 in 1967, when he went north from Miami to work on the Sloop Clearwater, which would be bound for the Hudson River. The sloop came from the imagination of legendary folk singer and anti-war activist Pete Seeger, who died Monday, Jan. 27, at 94 years old. The Clearwater was modeled on an 18th Century Dutch sailboat – 10 years ago it was named to the National Register of Historic Places. Seeger, Aunapu and the rest of the crew first set sail in 1969, making their way down to the Hudson River from Maine. "Every night we got to sing, and because of Pete’s draw we got to sing to packed houses wherever we went. And mine were just calypso from where I had been sailing. I’d been sailing in the Bahamas," Aunapu recalls. Aunapu says in those days the Hudson River smelled like diesel. Seeger’s mission with the Clearwater was to draw people's attention to the issue of clean water. In 1970, it sailed to Washington, D.C., to build support for the Clean Water Act. Aunapu says theSailing The Sloop With Seeger: A Local Remembershttp://wlrn.org/post/sailing-sloop-seeger-local-remembers
27111 as http://wlrn.orgTue, 28 Jan 2014 23:46:02 +0000Sailing The Sloop With Seeger: A Local RemembersNancy DahlbergGetting out on the open sea, wind in your hair, enjoying the ride with your family and friends. Then there’s the boat payments, storage fees, fuel, maintenance and repair — these costs can quickly sink the dream of boat ownership. Ahoy, mates — a new breed of boat-sharing services is entering the hot South Florida boating market. San Francisco-based Boatbound.co set up its East Coast headquarters on the Rickenbacker Causeway in Key Biscayne and launched nationally in June. About the same time, Cruzin.com finished a pilot program in Dania Beach and went live with its site, and there are a handful of other national competitors eyeing the Sunshine State. Locally based startups Fun2boat.com, Boatyard.com and Boatsetter.com are getting ready to launch their own variations on the concept. These companies make it possible for boat owners to rent out their boats when they aren’t using them — for many people that’s a considerable chunk of time. There are 12.2 million boats registered in thePeer-To-Peer Boat Rental Companies Arrive In South Floridahttp://wlrn.org/post/peer-peer-boat-rental-companies-arrive-south-florida
20675 as http://wlrn.orgMon, 16 Sep 2013 15:39:57 +0000Peer-To-Peer Boat Rental Companies Arrive In South FloridaGabriella Watts On July 1, close to 200 new Florida laws went into effect, one of which is a direct challenge to Federal fuel regulations. And one unexpected beneficiary is the recreational boat user. Florida struck down the following part of its Renewable Fuel Standard Act: “Each terminal supplier, importer, blender, and wholesaler shall also include in the report to the department the number of gallons of blended and unblended gasoline.” Effectively, this means that no gas supplier in Florida is obliged put ethanol in their fuel. Ethanol in gasoline is a contentious issue. Environmentalists are divided on whether or not using ethanol in gas reduces harmful fuel emissions. But the United States still supports the usage of blended gasoline. Currently, the federal Renewable Fuel Standard hopes to boost the volume of renewable fuel to 36 billion gallons by 2022, in comparison to 9 billion gallons in 2008. It encourages states to use fuel that is 10 percent ethanol. One group advocating for thisNew Florida Law Challenges Federal Ethanol Standardshttp://wlrn.org/post/new-florida-law-challenges-federal-ethanol-standards
16936 as http://wlrn.orgMon, 08 Jul 2013 11:00:00 +0000New Florida Law Challenges Federal Ethanol Standards 02/07/13 - Thursday's Topical Currents looks at the economic impact of the South Florida marine industry. Business leaders say coastal development has created a dearth of waterfront parcels for boaters. Boating creates some $10.6 Billion of revenue in Broward County alone. With marine insurance specialist Frank Atlass; Michael Joyce, Chairman and CEO of Fort Lauderdale based Hargrave Custom Yachts and yacht broker Steve Moynihan. And more. Linda Gassenheimer with Food Network celebrity and restaurant owner Scott Conant about his latest book, BOLD ITALIAN. Broward's $10.6 Billion Boating Industryhttp://wlrn.org/post/browards-106-billion-boating-industry
8973 as http://wlrn.orgThu, 07 Feb 2013 18:00:00 +0000Broward's $10.6 Billion Boating Industry